Master of Science in Accountancy (MACC)

The MACC degree program offers a curriculum that focuses on interactively developing the skills needed by accountants and financial managers. This is a specialized masters degree program designed to provide accountants the skills needed in mid- to upper-level accounting positions and skills needed in professional positions where finance, information systems, and related financial skills are as essential as accounting skills. Further, the program provides students with ethics, leadership, communications and interpersonal skills necessary for supervisory level positions.

In general, students applying for this program should already have completed an undergraduate degree in accountancy or its equivalent. Since all courses are offered at night over five week terms, this program will be of primary interest to those students desiring to complete an accounting masters program on a part-time basis while remaining employed.

Students currently enrolled in the BACC program at USD should review the requirements of the BACC and MACC combined program that are shown below this stand-alone MACC program.

MACC Program Requirements For Students With An Undergraduate Accountancy Degree

The MACC degree is a 30-semester-unit program for those with an undergraduate accountancy degree. Additional prerequisite requirements for those without an undergraduate accounting degree are detailed at the end of this section.

Required Courses

The following three courses (9 semester-units) of ethics, leadership, communications, and interpersonal skills are all required:
MACC 501 Communications and Ethics for Financial Professionals (3)
MACC 502 Leadership in a Financial Team Environment (3)
MACC 503 Negotiations: Strategy, Practice, and Ethics (3)

Elective Courses

The remaining seven courses (21 units) are electives and may be selected by the student in consultation with their faculty mentor. Three recommended specialization tracks have been developed to help students make their elective selections. The tracks, and the courses in the tracks, are recommendations only.
Students must complete a “program plan” indicating their elective selections prior to beginning the MACC program. However, course substitutions may be made at later points of time upon approval of their faculty mentor and the director of the MACC or MTAX programs.

International Experience

MACC students may participate in a six unit international accounting and European business environment program in London, Paris, and Rome. The primary goal of the course is to immerse students in both IFRS and the European business environment from a physical, cultural, and intellectual perspective with an emphasis on doing business in the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. Students will have the opportunity to personally experience the world of European business at the same time they are learning significant facts and concepts in a classroom setting. This will be accomplished by talking to business professionals, hearing lectures by individuals from Europe, visiting major international accounting firms, following the local press, discussing actual business cases, and classroom experiences. For more information go here.

All MACC courses will be offered only once per calendar year. Therefore, students should review the class schedule of MACC course offerings prior to the completion of their program plan. Students should also examine course prerequisites before selecting their electives and preparing their program plan. Faculty mentors should be consulted during this process. As detailed in the next section, MACC students may elect to take some GSBA prefixed MBA courses as part of their 21 units of electives.

Availability of GSBA-prefixed MBA Courses as MACC Program Electives.

A maximum of 9 units of MBA courses (e.g. GSBA prefixed courses) are allowed as part of the MACC program electives. The remaining 12 units of electives must be from MACC prefixed courses. Students must meet all the prerequisites of the desired GSBA course, must justify the relevance of the course, and must gain the approval of their faculty mentor to include the GSBA course as an MACC elective.
Students should be aware that MBA courses are generally offered during the Graduate School of Business

Administration’s regular 15-week fall and spring semesters, during the 3-week January intersession, and during the summer sessions. Students should determine the availability of a desired MBA course before including it in their MACC program plan.

Alternatively, students in the MBA program may select individual MACC courses for their elective courses. Students must meet the appropriate prerequisites noted for the individual MACC courses prior to enrollment and must gain approval of their MBA program adviser.

Specialization Tracks

Three specialization tracks have been developed to help guide MACC students in their selections of their 21 units of electives. These tracks, and the courses within the tracks, are recommendations only and are not required. Students are encouraged to use these tracks when preparing their program plan.

Requirements for Students with a Non-Accounting, Business Undergraduate Degree

Students with a non-accounting, business undergraduate degree may apply for the MACC program, but will be required to complete prerequisite accounting coursework. In this situation, their MACC program would consist of a maximum of 54 semester-units. Specifically, the 24 semester-unit requirements of the Undergraduate Certificate Program in Accountancy would need to be completed as prerequisites to completing the 30 semester-unit MACC program described above. Students having already completed some of the Undergraduate Certificate requirements will have the courses and the units considered for waiver.

Requirements for Students with a Non-Accounting, Non-Business Undergraduate Degree

Students without a undergraduate accountancy or business degree may be considered for admission to the MACC program, but will need to complete substantial prerequisite coursework in both accounting and business.

The MACC program would consist of a maximum of 73 semester-units. Students would need to complete 20 prerequisite-units in business, in addition to the 54-unit MACC program described above for the non-accounting, business undergraduate degree holders. Students having already completed any of the prerequisite business course requirements noted below will have the course and the units considered for waiver.

Admission Process For The MACC Program

Students must complete the following for admission to the MACC degree program:

Complete the Master of Science in Accountancy applicable application fees.
Note that the above application materials will require students to take the GMAT exam and receive a minimum score of 550 and to submit official transcripts for all prior undergraduate and graduate work. A 3.0 accounting course GPA and 3.0 overall GPA is the normal cutoff for admission. However, applicants with lower prior GPAs will be considered for admission with additional evidence of strong professional accounting or financial management credentials.